Baling bag closing apparatus



April 17, 1945. A. N. WEEKS 2,374,147

` .BALING BAG cLo'sI-NG APPARATUS original' Filed sept. 2,. .1941 2 sheets-sheet 1 FIG, l

"nf ji lil l. lili i /7 v s {lil l 1f! Patented Apr. 1'7", 1945 i i.

2,374,141'.y BALING' BAG CLOSING APPARATUS f Arnold N.-Vl 7eeks,`No 'rth Scituate, Mass., assignerv to Bemis Bro. Bag Company,.St.1Louis,-Mo.,.= a`

corporation ot'- Missouri 9. Divided and this application J anu'ary.'y

chafing and deformation of .the contents. is

avoided; and the provision of an apparatus for accomplishing a baling method which is fast; and economicalof time and material. `Otherobjects willvbe in part obvious and in part pointed 4`out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly. comprises the elements and combinations of elements, featiu'esof construction, and arrangements o f parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indiciated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawingsjin which. are

illustrated several of various `possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 isa side view showing ablaling tray.

associated with a. receiving' cover; Fig. 2 is a plan View ofFig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a vertical section sl'iovvingv a iilledcon` tainer applied to baling apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken approximately on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, showing a presser foot; y

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail in side r'elevlatvion of said presser foot;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of Fig. 3,.with the presser foot removed and a closure operation completed; Fig.'7 is a frontelevation of an alternative form of a tray;

Fig. 8 is la side elevation of the trayjof Fig.` 7 indicated in a turned-down position; and, Fig. 9 is aperspective view showing' another modification. l Similar reference characters indicate corresponding lparts throughout the severalviews of the drawings. Heretofore the packaging of paper bags for tnansportation was accomplished byv Wrapping paper around compressed groups ofthe bags and then tying these with baling rope. j

According to, the present invention', apparatus is provided whereby the bags are pressed togather in and preparatoryto closing an outside covering bag. Y

lReferring. nowv more particularly to Figs. 1 and'2numeral I formally indicategroups o f the bagsv which are toA be packaged. In each group is a number of fiat bags, .say for example. twenty-` iive. The bag mouths are at' 3 and the bottoms are at 5. ,Since the bottom end of such a group is'jthicker than the `moiithf,end; due tothe construction ofthe bags 'composing the groupgthe groups are arrangedN altern, at ively with their mouths directed inward. as rshown in Fig. 2,A This isin Yofrderl toolotain a column or pile of the bags which is yo f equal length oriboth sides. Inorder properlyto form the column,'the bags Aare'fstacked onedge horizontally in aU- shfaped tray l. This tray has 'a bottom and side Walls `II 'for guide purposes.,`r

' The tray' is pertiallyinserted into' the, open mouth I3 of (a larger halinghag I5` (Figs; 1 and 2) .which is toform the b-ale cover. vThis bag l5 is closedlat its bottoinjas, shown at I 1. After all. of the bags which ywill be accommodated bythebaling" cover or bag `.l 5 have been inserted 'into the tray, they are pushedendvviseinto I5, which opens autfmatcally underjtlfie'aix'q pressure .engendered aheadv of the bags as they enter. 1..,

`It has been found rto bellunsatisfactoryssimply toinsert the bags l into the holding bag I5 Vand then' yto close the latten'because of the tendency of .the .interio'r'bag's' I to become uneven later: ally and to separateA into aloose ycondition endvvise. Andjitis desirable4 to. .have a lcompressed conditionof the interior bagsso that the exterior covering b'aling bag lfactsaslabale ortensioning cover. g In orden to' accomplish the. desired ondathe loaded .bag VI5 vis'placedupright; .(Fig. 3) next to a; pair of clampsl,l which are hinged at I9 on -a platform 2 I Prior, tosWinging the cllamps I8. tofthepos'ition shovvn in Fig, 3;' a presser foot 2 3 is brought'fdown .into position` within the bag I5. I 'his presser foot is detailed in Fig..5 and consists of `a stem'25 on Whichis-l a, lower pad 2T. vHinged tQ tliepad 21 at ZSare flukes 3l lwhich are nor- Inallylbiased up, intothe -flatwise position shown in fFigf3 This is done .by means Aof springs 33;'

' The flukes are limited in their upward movement bytriangular stops 35. The possibilitiesof downwardmovement are indicated in -Fig..5, this rn ove 'mentbeing against the bias of s prings.,r

Asthe `presser foot is Abrought down, into the completely open mouthlgl'lI of bag l5,'the..flukes arefhorizontal,A as shownin .This is; ac;- c'm'plished by relative movement between the left in the package.

table 2| and the stem 25. It is not of importance which moves, the table 2| or the stem 25. The important thing is the relative movement which brings about compression of the bags within the baling cover I5. The degree of compression is such that the uppermost group of bags is brought justunder thanal positions of. lingers 31 on said clamps I8which are now swung into position so that portions 39 of the open mouth 4| of the bag are partially folded in over the ends of the contained bags. For thisv purpose.- the ukes are provided with clearingl notches 43 (Fig. 4).

Next, the platform 2| andthe stem 25 are` separated, Which causes a withdrawal of the presser foot from out of the mouth 4| of bag` I5. Any

interference with the ends ofthe fiukes, 3| by the partially closed portions 39`of the mouth is provided for by the flukes rotating downwardly and stretching the springs 33 as indicated in" Fig. 5. This is in response to draggingy Contact. by the ilukes with the partially closed portions, 39. of the bag mouth. In otherwords, the presser foot is collapsible in response to. contact With the partially closed bag mouth as the. presser foot is withdrawn.`

Next, the operator folds,A shut the openy mouth as indicated in. Fig. 6. AtV this time the iingers 31 have determined'endwise flat regions 43, over which are folded sidewise flat flaps 45, one of the with ears 49 and a rotary shaft 5I, the` latter passing through bearing blocks 53. The shaft 5 I is under control of a gearing 55 operable from a hand wheel 5,1, so that the tray 'I may be moved from a vertical position to amore or lesshorizontal position,

In Fig. 7. the tray is shown vertijcfah and in dotted lines is shown how the bags are applied in the tray. In Fig. 8, the loaded tray is shown as having. been turned down and the mouth I3 of a baling bag I5 brought. into position over the end of the tray,.preparatory to pushing the contents of the tray into the baling bag. Fromthis point on, the operations are the same as those described in connection with,L Figs. 3-5.

If desired, instead of using av rigid tray for aligning the bags preparatory to placing them in the baling bag I5, a strip of paper 59 may be laid down` and after placinga group o f the bags upon one reach 6| of said paper, it is brought around the lend of the column of bags as indicated at 63, and then` over them as indicated at 65. This forms a cradle. Then the assembly of'I'ig.` 9 is manipulatedso that the end 63 is lnsertedintothe mouth I3 oi the baling bag I5, the paper 59 being Thereafter,` the bale is ma.-A nipulated along. the lines. described in connection with Figs. 3-5. n Y

One or the principal; features. and adYantages of this inventionis the use of a widely diiused ordispersed retention of thepcompressive force, originally imposedby thev bale-formingbag which performs the double function o a tension medium and a. protective cover, to produce generalized re straint with the elimination of concentrated points of force as produced by ropes, steel bands, wires, or other localized restraining mediums which cause cutting, chang, distortion, wrin-` kling and other defects and damages.

Another advantage arisesfrom the holding of inner bags under generalized compression in the compact edgewise arrangement shown. This produces a solid and compact unit which naturally stacks and handles so that bags remain inedge- Wise position at all times. Such position completely eliminates resilience and spring which is characteristic of ordinary bales and bundles ofv bags and eliminates damage from rubbing and chang in shipping which is unavoidable in irregularly shaped resilient bundles of bags produced by other methods.

Another advantage of this invention consists of its economy of materials since only a minimum of overlap is used at all points and by utilizing vthe tensile strength of the covering bag the use of ropes, wires, straps, etc., is entirely eliminated.

Another advantage of the invention is the fact that the accordion-like expansion of the contents within the bale-forming bag I5 serves to tension the entire surface of the bale and to provide a neat appearance. In addition, loading is relatively easy, considering the results obtained. For example, no ordinary Wrappings are needed or baling bands. The advantages of a bale are obtained by using an ordinary bag.

The invention savesl wrapping material, because thepreformed bag I 5 requires only small overlapping portions at its seams; whereas the former wrapping sheets needed to be overlapped several inches to form an. effective package.

In addition, the present invention allows of stacking a greater number of bags in one stack without the danger of sidewise slippage. In this connection, it may be noted that the clamps I8 are positioned right next to the opposite ends of the stack, and serve alignment purposes during the compressive operation of the presser foot. Thus the side clamps hold the sides of the container bag I5 and also hold the contained bags compressed.

It is of substantial importancey that the presser foot perform its pressing. operation near the ends of the contained bags, and not only at the center, so that the ends do not spring up; This means that the tucked-in portions 39 of the bag mouth will necessarily interfere with. withdrawal of the presser foot, unless it isY collapsibly constructed, as above. described. Thus it will be seen that a presser foot of substantial expansion and collapsibilty upon withdrawing movement is important.

It is to be understood that the iinal article consists of a stack of bags which have their mouths alternately oppositely directed and lying adjacent to (as distinguished from overlapping) the bulged bottom portions of alternate bags, all compressibly assembled in a bale which is stretched and4 tensioned by the normal tendency of the bags to expand therein. The contained bags described are class examples of ilat articles in general that may be baled by the means herein described.

Attention is called to applicants copending application Serial No. 472,335, led January 14, 1943, for Baling method.

Inview of the above, it'will be seen that. the several objects of the inventionA are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions Without departing from the scope of the invention', it is intended that all matter contained in the `labove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. Closing apparatus for a filled and openmouthed baling bag having therein a column of laterally disposed substantially flat articles, comprising a. supporting platform for the illed bag, a relatively movable presser assembly movable into and out ofthe bag mouth, a central portion constituting a part of said assembly, stops associated therewith, vlaterally directed hinged flukes 'forming a part of said assembly and having pressure faces engageable with said column, means biasing said flukes, against said stops in which position said pressure faces are coplanar, said ilukes being movable angularly toward one another against said biasing means, said flukes being shaped to expose end portions of the column of articles when applied thereto in said baling bag, laterally movable clamps having holding faces movable from the outside of the baling bag into substantial coplanar positions with the pressure faces of the iiukes and over the said exposed portions, whereby portions of the baling bag are tucked in and the 'column held, said flukes being movable against said bias by any engagement thereby with tucked-in portions of the baling bag upon axial withdrawal of the presser assembly from the balinto and out of the bag mouth, laterally directed hinged flukes forming` a part of said assembly and having pressure faces engageable with said column inside the bag, stops forming part of the assembly, means biasing said flukes against said stops in which position said pressure faces are coplanar, said flukes being movable angularly toward one another, said iukes being shaped to expose end portions of a colunm of articles whenA y applied thereto in said baling bag, laterally movable clamps having holding faces movable from the outside of the baling bag into substantially coplanar positions with respect to the pressure faces of the flukes and bending parts of the bag over said exposed portions to hold the column vin compression as brought about by the presser assembly, said ilukes being movable against said bias by engagement thereby with the bent-in parts of the bag upon axial Withdrawal of the presser assembly, the clamps and ffukes being in non-interfering positions with respect to one another under relative axial movement of the flukes when Withdrawn from the bag.

ARNOLD N. WEEKS. 

